About Terroirs

SquareMeal Review

Bronze Award

Offering an authentic slice of Gallic charm just off Trafalgar Square, Terroirs is a regular hit with readers who rate the "buzzy and lively" atmosphere, hearty charcuterie platters and garlicky snails. The seasonal menu changes daily, but always focuses on the freshest ingredients, with confident flavour combinations allowing them to shine through: we’d single out a starter of simply grilled mackerel paired with a punchy celeriac rémoulade, as well as melt-in-the-mouth Ibérica pluma (a neck cut) accompanied by earthy cavolo nero and rich pepper sauce. Exemplary steak tartare, the signature pork terrine and duck rillettes slathered on crusty baguettes are also good calls, ahead of cheeses and desserts such as poached pear with bergamot custard and pecan brittle. Like its siblings Soif and Toasted, Terroirs is big on ‘natural’ wine, with a joyous list featuring sustainable, organic and biodynamic bottles from artisan producers. Ask the clued-up staff for recommendations and buy your favourites to take home.

Opening Times of Terroirs

Reviews of Terroirs

We had a lovely meal. Sharing plates, The smoked eel was excellent and the Burrata. The atmosphere was buzzy and lively and the service was very good. An enjoyable pre theatre meal. I recommend this restaurant, and will return when we have more time to spend over our meal!

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Paul B

Delicious

13 February 2015

If you order anything, order the charcuterie board and the snails!

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Mr. Adam D

Passionate for food

28 January 2015

A very varied and adventurous menu, which didn't disappoint. An extremely knowledgeable waiter on both the food and the wine. The wine we had was so good I have looked it up and bought a case today.
One caveat is it is a noisy, bustling and quite frenetic restaurant, which is great if that's what you are looking for, perhaps not if something more low key. That being said, it is a very fun atmosphere, and downstairs is far more subdued when open.

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makoto T

Excellent food as always but unfortunately horrific wine

25 October 2014

As a regular visitor to Terroir and it's sister restaurant Soif, I came expecting a treat and the food was excellent as always. However the whole meal was tainted by some horrific wine. We ordered a Gavi, which one would expect to be light, crisp refreshing and zesty with some minerality. What we got was a extremely sour, oxidised and rather unpleasant wine. The staff member assured us this was a special style of Gavi which was supposed to be oxidised and a very different colour from normal Gavi. He even mentioned malolactic fermentation as a reason for why it tasted as it did, though I was under the impression that ML fermentation normally removed some of the sour taste and introduced a more buttery taste. A real shame as this has been one of my favourite restaurants but it will take a while before the taste of the awful Gavi disappears and I am tempted to visit again.

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01 January 0001

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Mr. Jonathan C

Don't tell the tourists

17 March 2013

I visited Terroirs on a wet Friday evening in March after work. I had been looking for an informal but tasteful place to escape the elements and enjoy a glass of wine, with good but simple food, close to The National Gallery. Terroirs met all my expectations. It's the kind of place you could so easily walk past without giving it a second glance, and yet when you enter you realise you've discovered something special – a small piece of France just off Trafalgar Square, and importantly, seemingly undiscovered by tourists.
Based on other reviews, and wanting somewhere slightly quieter to be able to talk, I chose to book a table in the basement, which was cosy, nicely lit, and not too crowded for a Friday night. The restaurant has a real French vibe (at least to my mind) and is beautifully rustic, with exposed brickwork and little touches to the decor like an old fashioned record player.
With some assistance from a very helpful French waiter, we chose to share the charcuterie (duck rillettes, pork and pistachio terrine, and salami), paprika braised chickpeas, Lincolnshire smoked eel – and selected an excellent but affordable Sauvignon Blanc. All were delicious but I have to single out the duck rillettes, which melted in the mouth. I was pleased to see the eel had come from Lincolnshire, partly because that was my friend's home county (they didn't know each other), but mostly because it set the tone for the whole menu – although the style of food is Parisian tapas, many of the ingredients were best of British. The rhubarb tarte fine was the perfect light dessert and even got the approval of the person with a self-confessed sweet tooth sat opposite me.
I debated whether or not to write this review. Terroirs is the kind of place that once discovered you want to keep to yourself. Ultimately though, with so much competition around, restaurants need to stay popular to survive and I wanted to spread the word. I doubt anyone could be disappointed by this French idyll in the heart of London. Highly recommended.

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Mr. Alex G

20 December 2012

I am full of plaudits for Terroirs. A group of five of us had a table in the corner downstairs last night and from my vantage point in the very corner I was able to look out at the whole restuarant. Unsurprisigly, every table was taken, but – as trivial as this may sound – everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. Despite how full the place was, the waiting staff seemed both relaxed and efficient and this compelling combination seemed to be having the desired effect on the clientele. Clearly the food and wine undoubtedly helped too. In a nutshell, Terroirs succeeds in creating an atmosphere that many others should seek to emulate: superb home-cooking/ comfort foods in a wonderful setting, how I would like (a much larger version of) my kitchen/house to be. In terms of the food, our table sampled four different starters, as diverse as oysters (simple yet effective) to raw steak (well-presented on a board with pickles), all of which met with success. For the main, the majority of the table went for the rabbit leg with flagelot beans, presented to us in a dish where we served ourselves at the table – a nice idea – and perfect for a wet December evening. The cheeses with which we concluded were also excellent, served at the right (room) temperature and beautifully ripe. The wine list is also an absolute joy, full of undiscovered gems, particularly from France. Although potentially bewildering to the uninitiated – there are no ‘brand names’ here – the result is that the discovery of new wines is that much more satisfying. We enjoyed a Muscadet from the Loire and then a red blend from the Gard (in the Languedoc, but quite similar to Rhone in terms of style). Many of the wines are available in 500ml carafes, increasing one's options. To round it all of, Terroirs is priced very fairly too, all the more reason to return again soon.

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Mr. Patrick B

12 February 2012

Terroirs is a very good restaurant with a great concept. The small-dish approach really works for once and it is the kind of place where (uncharacteristically, for its Trafalgar Square location) everything seems possible. The wine list is inspired and the food is very nice and perfectly balanced. As promised, this is a rather rustic experience but all the more endearing. A well desereved thumbs up!

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Ms/Mrs. Anna W

02 December 2011

Fabulous lunch venue when you're not sure what to eat… enjoy lots of small plates to share with a good bottle of wine!

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Ms/Mrs. Yoonjin S

09 October 2011

The best wine bar in London! The downstairs area is very relaxed yet intimate and is a great place to spend the evening. The bar staff are all very knowledgable and the wines and food are reasonably priced. Nothing negative to say about Terroirs! Top place!